Chapter Thirty-Eight: Plucking the Lute, Youth Unfolds

Pipa!

Holding the pipa that Lu Wangzhi had rummaged through his belongings to find, Du Shiyi couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth twice.

In his previous life, he’d rebelled and left home, searching for an excuse to justify his departure, and used music as his pretext. At one point, he played guitar and learned drums, but since his studies had always been in archaic arts like metallurgy, acupuncture, and medicine, he inevitably ended up focusing more on classical folk music. He even spent years in a folk orchestra, and the instrument he played was the pipa. However, the pipa he had learned was the modern six-position, twenty-four-fret version, whereas this one before him was a four-position, twelve-fret pipa. That alone was a challenge, but the musical score that Lu Hong had given him—Sima Chengzhen’s “Song of Clear Heart”—looked like a cryptic mess, utterly incomprehensible to him.

Yet, Pei Ning, who had come as instructed, looked even more displeased. He couldn’t fathom why, though his junior brother was diligent and eager to learn, Master Lu insisted that he squeeze time from his busy schedule to teach him pipa. Still, a master’s command could not be refused. Despite his thousand unwillingness, Pei Ning, brow furrowed, reluctantly opened his mouth, “Starting tomorrow, you’ll practice with me for half an hour before sunset each day. First, study the musical notation for the five tones—gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu. I’ll test you on them tomorrow!”

Seeing Du Shiyi’s complicated expression, and Pei Ning leaving without so much as a backward glance, Lu Wangzhi couldn’t help but clear his throat, “Third Brother, Master Lu has asked our junior brother to learn the pipa for self-cultivation and temperance. You’re making things difficult for him.”

Pei Ning abruptly halted, then after a moment, replied without turning, his words clipped, “Very well, tomorrow I’ll explain the notation word by word.”

Early the next morning, after Cui Jianxuan woke, he learned that Du Shiyi had been ordered by Lu Hong to follow Pei Ning and study the pipa. He laughed gleefully, gloating, even knocking over his washbasin in exaggerated delight. But to his surprise, after breakfast, Fourth Brother Hou Xiao personally brought his monthly exam papers, and solemnly declared, “Eleventh Brother, Master Lu says your exam was acceptable. Since you have spare capacity, you might as well join our junior brother and learn pipa from Third Brother.”

Cui Jianxuan stood dumbfounded at this, while Du Shiyi—who had nearly choked from his earlier jeering—burst out laughing. When Cui Jianxuan protested and stormed off to see Lu Hong, Du Shiyi grew curious and asked the faintly smiling Hou Xiao, “Second Brother, do you know why Master Lu wants Eleventh Brother to learn the pipa as well?”

“Master Lu says that Eleventh Brother tends to slack off if not supervised. Since that’s the case, he might as well learn with you. Music not only aids in relaxation and self-cultivation, but mastery of musical arts is essential for social interactions.” Hou Xiao paused, seeing Du Shiyi surprised, then suddenly bowed deeply. “Junior brother, regarding our past disagreements about the locusts, now that I’ve learned about the situation in other regions, I realize that without you, the people would have suffered more, and taxes would be harder to bear.”

“Fourth Brother, please don’t say that!” Du Shiyi was caught off guard and quickly helped him up. “We simply pursue different paths in scholarship; there’s no need to dwell on it.”

“Though I still believe locust disasters must be avoided through moral cultivation, your methods of adaptation and encouragement are truly innovative—I’m convinced.” Hou Xiao straightened and smiled quietly. “Third Brother has studied music since childhood; even Master Lu praises his exceptional talent. But he’s focused on his studies these years, rarely performing. You and Eleventh Brother must study well. Though his family is descended from the Pei Zheng lineage in the west, their pipa technique reportedly traces back to Pei Shenfu, a court musician during the reign of Emperor Taizong, renowned for the standing plucking method.”

Hearing this, Du Shiyi recalled Pei Ning’s cold demeanor and asked thoughtfully, “Fourth Brother, Third Brother doesn’t seem very old. How long has he studied under Master Lu?”

“Well… Third Brother entered Master Lu’s tutelage at ten; it’s been twelve years now.” Remembering his first encounter with Pei Ning—just as frosty and uncompromising—Hou Xiao chuckled. “His eldest brother, Pei Kuan, served as assistant military officer in Runzhou, later passed the civil service exam, and became Deputy Governor of Henan. I heard the Runzhou Prefect married his daughter to him, and now he’s an assistant official in the Ministry of Justice. The Pei brothers number eight; Third Brother is third, but his ambitions are lofty. I, at his age, could hardly have endured a decade in these mountains. This was all discovered by our eldest brother bit by bit. Third Brother may be cold-faced but is warm-hearted, though he’d never admit it. With time, you’ll see.”

Du Shiyi had quickly become familiar with most of his brothers, except for Pei Ning, who was difficult to approach; it was only now he learned of Pei Ning’s family background. Thanking Hou Xiao with a smile, he bent to pick up the pipa from the small table, strummed a string, and drew a deep breath.

Since he must learn, he would do his best. Fortunately, his foundation was solid—far better than the clueless Eleventh Brother!

Cui Jianxuan’s trip to the thatched cottage proved fruitless. Lu Hong, smiling and persuasive, eventually talked him round, and in the end he had to droop his head and follow Du Shiyi to study pipa. Pei Ning’s skill was indeed exquisite; after a piece played upright, both were impressed, but the subsequent finger techniques and basic exercises left Cui Jianxuan complaining bitterly. Even Du Shiyi, with his prior experience, struggled to adapt to the very different style and sound of this ancient pipa.

Time flew; autumn gave way to winter, and before they knew it, it was the twelfth lunar month. With the court ordering local officials since October to monitor ponds and loosened earth for locust eggs, and Du Shiyi’s lingering worries about the locust disaster laid to rest, he could finally relax.

One day, while practicing the rolling finger technique, Du Shiyi heard a commotion outside. He was distracted for a moment, and Cui Jianxuan immediately dropped his pipa and sprang up to investigate. But before he could take a step, Pei Ning tapped his kneecap with a bamboo whip—not too hard, not too soft. Cui Jianxuan yelped and reluctantly sat back down, prompting Du Shiyi to sigh—this fellow never learns his lesson. Sure enough, Pei Ning sternly rebuked him, “How many times have I told you—never let your mind wander, no matter what you’re doing!”

Just then, a voice called from outside, “Third Brother, your eldest sister-in-law has come to see you!”

At that, Pei Ning’s expression changed dramatically; he forgot even to greet them, and rushed outside in haste. Du Shiyi and Cui Jianxuan exchanged a glance, set down their pipas, and followed. They were curious—this was the first time they’d seen their cold-faced Third Brother lose composure since arriving at Lu’s thatched hall months ago.

Outside, they found they weren’t alone in their curiosity. The mountain path to Lu’s thatched hall was unsuitable for carriages, but horses could pass, so three or five men, looking like servants, stood holding horses nearby. At the center, smiling at Pei Ning, was a young matron of about twenty-four or twenty-five. Despite the prevailing customs, she still held her veiled hat, likely just removed. Her twin buns were adorned with pearl hairpins, she wore light-colored gauze, a bright red half-sleeve over her shoulders, a pomegranate skirt to her chest, a sash draped between her hands, and a fur coat wrapped over all. Her lips were lightly tinted, brows faintly dusted, accentuating her natural beauty and elegant bearing. The usually timid students, wary of Pei Ning’s cold demeanor, now gathered in small groups to watch, their eyes mostly fixed on the young matron.

Pei Ning was clearly ill at ease with the crowd, but unable to vent his annoyance, he lowered his voice to greet her, “Sister-in-law, why have you come?”

“You haven’t been home in three years. Your brother’s busy with official duties and can’t leave, but he’s concerned for you. Your second brother is preparing for next year’s civil service exam, so after much discussion, I came myself.” Madam Wei looked placidly at her frowning brother-in-law and smiled. “Since I’m here, I must pay respects to Master Lu. Will you lead the way, Third Brother?”

“This way, Sister-in-law.”

Although Pei Ning led her to see Lu Hong, his sister-in-law’s sudden arrival sparked much discussion. Even Cui Jianxuan, standing at the cottage door, watched as the pair disappeared into Lu Hong’s thatched hut and remarked, “Just seeing how poised and dignified his sister-in-law is in front of everyone, it’s clear Third Brother’s eldest brother is a fortunate man. The Wei clan surely produces fine daughters. By the way, I wonder if Third Brother’s own marriage is settled. With a face like his, his future wife’s life will be hard—she’ll surely freeze to death…”

Hearing Cui Jianxuan mutter about Pei Ning’s marriage, Du Shiyi couldn’t help but smile. Though Pei Ning was already twenty-two, in this era, late marriage was considered a flaw for women, but men often delayed for studies or official prospects. So Pei Ning’s unmarried status wasn’t unusual. Besides, his temperament was certainly not one easily tolerated by most women.

Pei Ning and Madam Wei remained in Lu Hong’s cottage for nearly half an hour. With Second Brother Song Shen and Fourth Brother Hou Xiao setting themselves up as gatekeepers, the curious students gradually dispersed. Du Shiyi and Cui Jianxuan, however, had their task—to practice pipa—so they sat cross-legged with their instruments at the door, and neither Song Shen nor Hou Xiao could chase them away. Finally, Hou Xiao came forward and quietly warned, “Be careful you don’t watch the spectacle so much that Third Brother loses his temper. If he makes you learn a whole piece in one night, you’ll be crying for mercy!”

“Fourth Brother, don’t exaggerate. Third Brother isn’t one for petty revenge.” Du Shiyi chuckled, then suddenly noticed movement at the cottage and called out, “Look, Third Brother’s coming out!”

Pei Ning, his face cold as ice, strode quickly to the door, glanced at Du Shiyi and Cui Jianxuan, and said, “Practice the rolling finger technique, standing plucking, and string gathering methods. Master ‘Song of the Frontier’ within a month. When I return, I’ll test you immediately. If you’re lacking, you know the consequences!”

With that, Pei Ning turned and left, leaving Du Shiyi and Cui Jianxuan exchanging glances. As Lu Wangzhi escorted Madam Wei out, chatting and laughing at the door before heading over, Hou Xiao hurried to greet him.

“Eldest Brother…”

“Third Brother is going home.” Lu Wangzhi’s face took on a meaningful smile. “He’s no longer young, and now that his fiancée is about to come of age, it’s time he returned to marry.”

The implication was clear: Pei Ning, now twenty-three, was soon to wed a beautiful young maiden of fifteen.